I'm Just Curious...

The truth is...I would do just about anything I could to stay home with my baby. If I had to, I would live somewhere that my husband and I can afford on just his income. I would consider discussing with him obout him getting a 2nd job. Or I would work weekends while he's home. I would even think of selling a car if necessary. I certainly would NOT have 2 car payments. No hair or nail appts, no clothes shopping, I would budget, budget, budget every penny for food, etc. No dish TV or fancy cable. DO you and your husband have cell phones & a home line? Cancel the home line? What's the point? I would do ANYTHING I could to stay home with my baby. It's really only until they are in kindergarten and then you can work part-time. I was a school teacher in my "past life" and I'm telling you it is SOOO obvious which children are "institutionalized" aka: daycare all their infant/toddler years. These are precious and crucial years for your child.

J.-

Are you still looking for something that might help you bring in extra income?

Right now I'm not a stay at home mom, but building a business so that I can stay at home. I want this business to be able do well so that I can be a SAHM. I'm working for a Wellness Company that helps moms (whether they are working or at home) start up a business so that they can help support their family. I do talk to tons of moms on a daily basis that are staying at home and doing an awesome job with the business. I was looking for something to bring in extra income for my family. In our company there is a lot of support for moms and TONS of help.

My husband is very supportive with the business. He has been more active in our children's lives. He helps out where ever it is needed.

If you are still interested in finding out more information about this company. Go to my website and request more information. www.myfamily-mylife.com

Hi J.,

First, if you decided to stay home there would not be a need for daycare!!! That in itself is a major expense cut! I realized that I would be working just to pay for daycare. So I decide to quit and stay home with my daughter. You learn to cut out alot of other things that dont seem to be much of necessity if you're at home. I stocked up on a lot of items while I was pregnant.. diapers, baby wipes, formula, etc. But since she is the first grandchild for both sides of the family she doesnt really need much :) My mother is amazing.. whatever my daughter needs she pretty much buys. My husband makes a pretty decent salary so we're okay. No we dont have the extra money that we used to have but thats what I mean by cutting back. We dont go out to eat all the time. I dont go shopping like I used to.. I do my own mani/pedi now. I clip coupons and now we buy only what we need not b/c we want it!! Dont get me wrong, its very hard but I feel like my daughter is worth it!! She spends all of her time with me instead of 8-9 hours at daycare!! :) Its been 3 mths since I've started staying home so I'm getting the hang of it. My only problem is that I didnt pay off my credit cards before I decided to stay at home, so I have credit card debt. But I'm pretty much taking the advice that alot of the moms are giving and getting Dave Ramsey's book.. "The Total Money Makeover"..

J.,
I'm sure there are many moms who are able to stay home because their husband's income is substantial. Or they may be willing to do without things in order to stay home with their children.
And then there are many 'stay-at-home' moms who are also 'work-at-home' moms. To avoid time away from the children, daycare expense, travel, wardrobe, meals out, etc. they find things that will work around the children. This means something that is very flexible. There are more and more people looking for this option. If you start a search for a 'work-at-home' opportunity, be sure to check them out thoroughly. There are a lot of questionable things out there.
I work from home and I'd be happy to share what I know of the many options (of course, I don't know them all)
Let me know if I can help.
S. Z

Sorry this is a little late!

I've been able to stay at home, but it does cause financial stress to some degree cause, as you've noticed, salaries don't seem to keep up with the cost for everything else. I've recently started my own business - Kid Express Child Shuttle - to take some of the weight from my husband's shoulders and still be home with my little guy most of the time. If you're in the Richardson/Addison area, feel free to contact me (check out www.kid-express.com to get an idea of what I do). I expect to need part-time help in the near future. If you don't live in my area and are interested in this type of business for yourself. My little guy will be traveling with me when I drive, and when I work from home, it's less expensive to have someone come in to play with him than send him off somewhere, and I can take "baby breaks" when he needs some mommy-luv! Good luck!